Hello All~
I'm new to this forum and am looking to purchase a secondary weapon to carry on duty. I'd like a .380 or .40 S&W (can't use 9mm - department policy) that is extremely slim and compact (Glock is too bulky for my small frame).

I'm considering a Walther PPK .380 from my local gun store. It is on consignment for $700. They claim it is "German made". It is in pristine condition, has the Walther ribbon logo and typical markings on the left side of the slide, and NO MARKINGS on the right side of the slide. It also has a lanyard ring on the butt near the magazine well. One magazine, no other accessories, and no info is available on service records, number of rounds fired, etc. The partial serial number is 1223XXA with the XX being two more digits.

I've been researching the PPK online and coming up with a large range of values, but $700 seems to be at the high end. Can anyone advise the date of manufacture and what the value of this gun is and include their source(s) for this info? Is this a french-made, Manhurin gun that was proof-fired and stamped in Germany?

I'm also considering the Kahr Arms PM4044, M4043, and K4044 for more stopping power, but still comparable in weight and size. Any opinions?
Thanks in advance....

Looking at the first part of your question having just purchased an American-make PPK for less than half of what you are considering, might be a little high...It's true, the ones I've seen that are the early German and later Manhurin are selling on GunBroker & Auction Arms for $550 & up....A collector might find some interest in your particular model; but it seems kind of high for shooter. They are nice pistols...I suggest you do some more price comparisons...

__________________"Gun companies and gun magazines have long had relationships beyond cozy" C.J. Chivers, author "THE GUN"

Buy a Interarms or a S&W I have a 25+year old Interarms that I carry a lot they go for $360 range used. Buy a new recoil spring and good to go. Or get a S&W . no need for a $700 German gun plus their getting to be collectable . Carry a stainless . Better yet get a PPK/S only slighty bigger 1 more round and a lot more aftermarket grips . I carry mine with CorbonDPX .

JohnKSA, great links and it cleared up a lot of confusion about my latest acquisition: PPK. One last question: I've tried Google, etc. looking for a link for Walther production #,s, and dates..Looking for the d.o.b. of my PPK...Can anyone help? I'm stuck....

Thanks John for info below....Mine is InterArms made in U.S. Looking through the ejection port, looks like VA or 14..Probably made in Virginia...

__________________"Gun companies and gun magazines have long had relationships beyond cozy" C.J. Chivers, author "THE GUN"

The parts for the PPK you are looking at was made by the Manurhin factory and shipped to Germany for assembly , fitting, finishing and proofing,. The serial numbers 100305 to serial number 266310A were used by Manurhin between 6/55 and 10/85. For all practical purposes they are considered German build, the slide legend reads made in Germany. The German build guns will bring a premium over the American build guns. Walther start making complete PPs,PPKs and PPK/S again around 1985/86. After that time they were build lock stock and barrel in Ohm, Germany. S&W now has the american rights to build these guns in the US. BTW 700 does seem to be a little high even for a German bulid PPK, but at one time they were listed at one thousand greenbacks. Just a guess I would say your PPK was build betweeen 1956 and 1958.

If indeed it is a pre-WWII German-made PPK, they run from $2200 (excellent) down to $375 (poor). That's much too expensive to use as a carry gun, even at $700. Those are meant to be safe queens. For my $0.02 worth, I'd opt for something more contemporary and cheaper.

suggest you also look at a stainless steel Sig 232 or even the 239 in 40. both are a much better weapon. I know if you need to use the Walther it really won't matter...but they tend to bite the hand that holds them.... check out the extended back of the new smith and wessson ones and this will tell you something.

The Walther PPK's I have seen lately. Thinking about buying.
Are made by S&W. And they improved on it.
There was an article in the American Rifleman mag. last year.
Cost around $500 tops. South Detroit area.

With all due respect to Blume357, I disagree. The Walther is a better gun than the Sig. My Interarms PPK/S (1997), has never bitten me, and I have a big paw. The Sig is a great gun, but it is NOT a Walther. Call me a gun snob if you will, but if it doesn't say Walther, you are cheating yourself. I had a Sig 230, and sold it very quickly. It just doesn't fit my hand the same way as my PPK/S does. And yes, I am a Bond fan, so I'm not very objective...LOL!!!

$700 sounds way high. I usually shoot a berretta .380. so much so that the local guys tried to also sell me a PPK .380 saying it was slimmer than the italian gun and could be more easily hidden on my person-guys, you have no idea how hard it can be to be a woman and still conceal a gun- they were charging around $360 for it.

The PPK is too expensive, large, and collectable for a duty backup.
There is really only one choice- the Keltec P3AT. There is no smaller, lighter .380 on the market. You have to carry enough stuff already.
Bill

i have a walther ppk 7.65m/m stamped eagle/n does anyone have any info on the history of this gun? What year it was made? And the value of it? the serial number is a 6 digit number 325xxx ending in the suffix k.. someone please help

325000k was made in 1941, Eagle stamped could mean just the regular Eagle over N which was the normal proof mark, commercial sold, or it could mean an Eagle over a Waffenamt, which was a military acceptance mark. Too little information given.

I to like the Sig 230/232 but prefer the lighter framed blued model. "German" PPKs are to valuable for carry. I have carried a PPK/S both German and French marked (never found an American I could get to that 100% reliable with 200 consecutive rounds) but they were not my favorites to carry due to weight. I really prefer a J frame airweight Smith but have carried autos.

My pre war PPKs and 1966 PPK (all .32) are all safe queen, save one old pre war beater with faux black party leader grips as a novelty/shooter.

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